Do you recall that earlier this year when the pandemic hit the different part of the globe? A lot of travellers were trying to return home. Some of us have to cancel our holiday plans. We have to liaise with different organisations about the air-tickets, hotels, tours and many more. The hold time on the phone was incredibly long. Some organisations were not flexible about their policies. It was excruciating to deal with such matters, especially when so many other things were happening at the same time.

I was one of them because I had to cancel my holiday plan to Japan. At that point in time, I wish that organisations could better provide us with solutions or answers quickly. It is also due to this incident that taught me the importance of communication during a crisis.

Everyone needs answers.

There will be a set of common questions that your stakeholders would have. You can create a set of Frequently Asked Questions and post in on your website and social media platforms. Most importantly, this information must be kept up-to-date. We are expecting frequent updates so that we can make an informed choice. 

It’s with utmost importance that organisations have to be detailed, descriptive and thorough in their communication.

For example, Airlines. The most common question that airlines face is “Can I get a refund of my air tickets?”

Firstly, airlines would need to over-communicate with the stakeholders. It is best to post the various methods of contacting them. It’s best that airlines be out front about their call and enquiry volume, and give the consumers an idea on how long they need to wait for a response. It is because, at this point, consumers would be anxious, and they would want to have their questions answers as soon as possible.

An airline can provide a step by step guide of getting a refund. The guide would be useful for tech-savvy consumers who can easily navigate the website to submit their request. The airline could open physical counters and hotlines for those who need help with the refund process due to other issues. Then, it would be best to indicate how long the consumers would need to wait to get back the refund.

Airlines need to provide the terms and conditions of the refund. On top of that, they should communicate the changes too. This information needs to be easily accessible, as well. Businesses should not hide such crucial details. Imagine having to search for information but to no avail, would you feel worse? Likewise, businesses should not let their stakeholders feel more negative while searching for more details.

Hence, when a crisis strike, businesses need to learn to over-communicate. The messages need to be detailed, descriptive and thorough. Businesses should provide updates consistently to answers to all the stakeholders. Let’s take this opportunity to learn all these skills, and apply them should a crisis happen in the future.

x, Esther

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